Shuttle cars



sept. 1s, 1962 5,054,160

R. G. LE TOURNEAU SHUTTLE CARS Filed March 17, 1961 Unite My invention relates to shuttle cars, and more particularly to self-propelled load hauling and self-dumping shuttle car-s of a type for use in mines or other applications wherein overhead room is limited.

The present invention is particularly applicable to shuttle cars which are unloaded by pushing the load out of one end of the car load carrying body. The pusher type unloaders are often used in shuttle car construction because they do not require as much operating space as either body tilt type lunloaders or bottom hopper type unloaders. While the shuttle cars with pusher type unloaders are quite well `suited to limited operating space applications such as in mines, there are yet some improvements that could be made. One such improvement resides in the body end closure or tail gate design. It is in fact the general object of the present invention to provide an improved tail gate design for shuttle cars of the pusher unloader type.

My invention contemplates a shuttle car with an open topped load carrying body having planar sides and bottom and open at its rear end, with a pusher device designed to push the load out of the body via the open rear end. My invention further contemplates a tail gate for said car in the form of an apron having an end closure and a pair of tapered side walls or wings integral with and extending awayfrom the end closure, w-ith the end closure width being slightly greater than that of the car body. The tail gate is pivoted adjacent the outer ends of the respective side wings to the respective body sides at their upper rear end portions. The distance from the pivots to the end closure is made such that the end closure will just clear the rear edge of the car -body bottom. My invention also contemplates means for powering the tail gate to its open and closed positions. rIhis means is preferably a rack and pinionmechanism located underneath the car body. When in the closed position, the tail gate not only provides an end closure for the car body, but also provides signicant added load capacity. In the open position, the tail gate is nested underneath the car body. No additional head or under vehicle clearance space is required for the tail gate to operate in. Preferably, the tail gate end closure has an arcuate transverse section shape, and the side wings have the shape of ydisk segments. Such segments of approximately 40 have been found quite satisfactory. The end closure prole of course follows that of the side wing arcs.

Additional objects, features, and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,

forming a part of this application, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shuttle car in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention and showing the car body in the load carrying position with the tail gate closed;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic perspective view of the car of FIGURE l and showing the car body in the unloaded position with the tail gate open; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational View, partly in section, -showing the tail gate operating mechanism.

As shown in the drawing, the shuttle car is a vehicle having a pair of rear wheels 11 and a single front wheel 13. The rear wheels 1.1 are mounted on an axle 15 which is fixed to the vehicle main frame 17. The front wheel 13 is fixed to an axle structure 19 which is pivoted on the forward end 21 of the vehicle main frame 17. Steer- States Patent ing `of the vehicle is accomplished by an electric motor 23 mounted on the front wheel axle structure 19 and driving a pinion on a sector gear 25 which is fixed to the vehicle main frame, thus causing the front wheel 13 to swing about the front axle structure pivots. A power plant 27 including an internal combustion engine driving an electric generator is mounted on cross beams 29 laterally of the main frame 17. The operators cab 31, engine exhaust scrubbers 33 and electrical control apparatus 35 is mounted on cross beams 29 laterally of the main frame 17 and opposite the power plant 27. The car body is the telescoping type having a front section 37 which can telescope into a rear section 39. Both the front and rear body sections -are open topped, open ended, and have planar sides and bottom. The rear body section 39 is iixed to the vehicle main frame 17, while the front body section 37 is arranged to `travel on rails 41. A pusher unloader device includes pusher wall 43 size. to t just inside the body transverse profile. The pusher wall is xed by suitable bracework 45 to a carriage 47 which is driven by an electric motor 49 along a rack (not shown) disposed parallel to the rails upon which the body rear section travels. The pusher wall bracework 45 extends su'iciently rearward of the carriage 47 that when the carriage is in its maximum rearward position, the pusher wall 43 is at the rear margin of the rear body section floor. Thus, the front body section 37 is reciprocable, and in loaded position occupies a space or channel between the power plant 27 on one side and the cab 31,

scrubbers 33, and electrical equipment 35 on the other.`

Turning attention now to the rear body section end closure or tail gate 51, which is a primary feature of the present invention, it will be seen to have an end closure wall 53 which is arcuate in transverse section proiile and which has length just greater than the width of the body rear section 39. The tail gate 51 has a pair of wings or sidewalls 55 which are generally pie shaped, with the arc end conforming to the arc of the end closure wall 53. The angle subtended by the sidewall side margins is approximately 40. The sidewalls 55 are integrally iixed to and extend laterally of the end closure 53 wall and parallel to each other. Pivot means 57 are provided at the upper portions of the body rear section sidewall exterior, and each tail gate sidewall 55 is pivoted at its outer end portion on a respective one of said pivot means 57. The tailgate 51 is operated by a rack 5.9 which is pivotally fixed at one end at 61 onto the lower underside of the end closure wall 53. The rack 59 extends forwardly underneath the body rear section to be engaged by the output pinion 63 of a gear reduction 65. The gear reduction is driven by an electric motor 67 and is xed to the vehicle undeside. Thus, the tailgate 51 swings about its pivots S7 from the closed position shown in FIGURES l and 3 to the open position shown in FIGURE 2. The tailgate 51 is power driven by the rack 59 and gearrnotor which is controlled from the opera-tors station within the vehicle cab 31. When the tailgate 51 is in the closed position, it not only serves as an end closure for the body sections but it also adds signicantly to the body load carrying capacity. When the tailgate 51 is in the open position, it nests neatly underneath the bottom of the body rear section 39. The total operation of the tailgate 51 is entirely within the vehicle other dimensions, so that no additional headroom or under vehicle clearance is required.

While I have shown my invention in only one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modications without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. In a self-propelled load hauling vehicle designed to operate in an environment of limited head room and under vehicle clearance, said vehicle having a load carrying body with sides, a bottom, and an open end for push unloading, an end closure comprising a wall portion arcuate in transverse section and of length just greater than the width of said body and having side wings integral with the end margins of said wall portion and extending laterally thereof and tapering inwardly therefrom, means pivotally fixing said wing portions at their outer end portions to respective body wall exteriors adjacent their upper margins and the body open end, lthe distance from said pivots to said wall portion being such as to just clear said bottom at said open end, a rack pivotally fixed at one end to said wall portion exterior adjacent the lower margin thereof, a gear reduction fixed to the underside of said vehicle and having an output pinion engaging said rack, and electric motor means driving said gear reduction, whereby when said end closure is powered to its closed position it provides supplemental load carrying capacity for said body and when powered to its open position said end closure is nested underneath said body.

2. In a self-propelled load hauling vehicle designed to operate in an environment of limited head room and under vehicle clearance, said vehicle having a load carrying body with sides, a bottom, and an open end for push unloading, an end closure comprising a wall portion of length just greater than the width of said body and having side portions integral with the end margins of said wall portion and extending laterally thereof, means pivotally fixing said side portions at their outer end portions to respective body wall exteriors adjacent their upper margins and the body open end, the distance from said pivots to said wall portion being such as to just clear said bottom at said open end, a rack pivotally fixed at one end to said Wall portion exterior adjacent the lower margin thereof, a gear reduction fixed to the underside of said vehicle and having an output pinion engaging said rack, and electric motor means driving said gear reduction, whereby when said end closure is powered to its closed position it provides supplemental load carrying capacity for said body and when powered to its open position said end closure is nested underneath said body.

3. In a self-propelled load hauling vehicle designed to operate in an environment of limited head room and under vehicle clearance, said vehicle having a load carrying body with sides, a bottom, and an open end for push unloading, an end closure comprising a wall portion of length just greater than the width of said body and having side portions integral with the end margins of said wall portion and extending laterally thereof, means pivotally fixing said side portions at their outer end portoins to respective body wall exteriors adjacent their upper margins and the body open end, the distance from said pivots to said wall portion being such as to just clear said bottom at said open end, a rack pivotally fixed at one end to said wall portion exterior adjacent the lower margin thereof, a gear reduction fixed to the underside of said vehicle and having an output pinion engaging said rack, and means driving said gear reduction, whereby when said end closure is powered to its closed position it provides supplemental load carrying capacity for said body and when powered to its' open position said end closure is nested underneath said body.

4. In a self-propelled load hauling vehicle designed to operate in an environment of limited head room and under vehicle clearance, said vehicle having a load carrying body with sides, a bottom, and an open end for push unloading an end closure comprising a wall portion of length just greater than the width of said body and having side portions integral with the end margins of said wall portion and extending laterally thereof, means pivotv ally fixing said side portions at their outer end portions to respective body wall exteriors adjacent their upper margins and the body open end, the distance from said pivots to said Awall portion being such as to just clear said bottom at said open end, and powered means located on the underside of said vehicle for moving said end closure to its open and closed positions, whereby when said end closure is powered to its closed position it provides suppiemental load carrying capacity for said body and when powered to its open position said end closure is nested underneath said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,130,099 Peterson Sept. 13, 1938 2,793,769 Weber May 28, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,092,046 France Nov. 3, 1954 

